S T A N D I N G W A V E S
INSURANCE KILLED
THE RODEO STAR LIABILITY LINGERS OVER THE HEADS OF FREESTYLE EVENT ORGANIZERS
Photo: Dave Duncan
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THE FUTURE OF FREESTYLE PADDLING rides pre- cariously on the foam pile of litigation, according to Dustin Barker, who says insurance costs threaten to flush rodeos out of the price range of casual competi- tors in parts of Canada. Barker, organizer of the Bangs Falls Rodeo on Nova
Scotia’s Medway River, says insurance has become a critical factor for organizers deciding whether or not to run a freestyle event. The cost of insurance varies from province to prov-
ince depending on the availability of coverage under an umbrella organization, such as a provincial white- water association. Barker says a rodeo organizer would have to pay upwards of $3,000 for insurance in regions like New Brunswick or Newfoundland where there isn’t a provincial whitewater association. For events with a turnout of 50 paddlers, that translates to $60 apiece just to cover insurance. “That’s a lot to recover,” says Barker. “If you don’t get
the participants, you’re a sitting duck in the water.” In regions without a provincial whitewater body,
prospective rodeo organizers are forced to choose between paying to play or chancing it sans-insur-
ance. Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador (KNL), for instance, risks liability by not insuring its Pipers Hole and Virgin Wave rodeos. KNL representative Mark Simpson says any insurance the club insurance could buy for itself would be prohibitively expensive for their 30-participant, locals-only events. Provincial whitewater organizations receive their
liability insurance coverage from All Sport, a com- pany which holds the lion’s share of the insurance market for all amateur sport in Canada. Insurance fees range from $1 per person in Alberta to $25 per person at Quebec’s Chambly Rodeo. Provincially sanctioned events in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario all charge $5 per person, while par- ticipants at Dustin Barker’s Bangs Falls Rodeo pay $15 a piece. Cam McDermaid, vice president of communica-
tions for the non-profit organization Whitewater On- tario, says the greatest concern for paddling orga- nizations is a death or significant injury occurring at a sanctioned event, in which case insurance costs would no doubt skyrocket and send rodeo events the way of AM radio.
— Conor Mihell
ROBERT FAUBERT
RAPID
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